Flower child
by SecretlyanAvenger
Summary: Kakashi/OC Hanako Maki escapes death from the Akatsuki with the help of her eldest sibling, Maaya. After being left, unconscious, at the gates of Konoha, she is taken into the care of Team 7.
1. Chapter 1: About the character

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I own any of the characters. **

**Name**: Hanako (means flower child) Maki

Age: Eighteen

**Family:**

** Father**: Aiko Maki (Deaceased: aged 43)

**Mother**: Seika Maki ( Deceased: aged 45)

**Brothers**: Unknown (Deceased: aged 17) Oki Maki ( Deceased: aged 10) Ran Maki (Deceased: aged 10)

**Sisters**: Nari Maki (Deceased: aged 16) Rei Maki (Deceased: Aged 12) Maaya Maki (Whereabouts unkown: Aged 20)

**Village:** Unknown

**Hair colour:** Ginger

**Eye colour:** Green

**Personality:** Curious, helpful, finds it difficult to trust people. Will protect those close to her with her life; suffers from strange, constant flashbacks.

**Appearance:** Hanako is of average height; was once chubby with puppy fat but the life of a pauper soon starved her skinny. She has freckles dotted across her nose, crooked teeth, but very beautiful eyes. Her hair is waist length, curly and normally messy. Like Kakashi, she wears a mask, but she does not know why. Upon waking up in Konoha, she finds herself with a mask, so takes this as her identity and continues to wear it. Hanako refuses to take the mask off, until she finds someone who she can completely trust. Once she has found that person, she believes she can remove the mask and then seek her revenge.

**Her story/history:** Grew up in a small, humble home. It had very little furnishings, and the children would all have to squeeze on the same mattress. Her father was killed when she was three, trying to protect her family from the visiting Akatsuki who wished to harness the secrets of the family's secret weapon. (Hanako is yet to find out what this secret weapon is) A few years after the attack on their home, and father, the children's mother became withdrawn and ill. As she was very ill, Hanako's eldest sister (aged 16) called Maaya took up the role of mother; she fed, bathed and cared for the youngest, only seeking help when she got ill. Hanako's eldest brother, also aged 16, took up the role of family protector, until he was killed in a fire at the age of seventeen. After his death, their mother refused to eat and later died from starvation. These were strained times for Maaya, now aged seventeen, and sister Nari, aged fifteen, as both girls were forced to look after the remaining youngsters.

None of the remaining children knew that the Akatsuki would return to take them away, in hope of finding the one with the secret power. The secret power that the Maki family possess is that of the ability to grow, and manipulate, plants. That Akatsuki at the time thought this would be a wonderful addition to the gang, and were even more convinced so when an elderly woman prophesied that one of the children would possess a power so great, that it could destroy a single village in one go. Of course, this ultimate power does have its consequences and those are that the ninja may collapse, or even die from exhaustion. (However, this was a tale spun from the mind of a mad old woman. We are yet to find out whether or not it is the truth)

Hanako is eighteen when the Akatsuki finally attack; they have been building up to it for quite some time and when they believe the moment is right, and the family is at its weakest, they strike. During the time of this attack, it is the anniversary of their father's death, so of course the children are saddened on that day, and seem withdrawn. The youngest child, now aged seven, was born with weak vision, so does not see Itachi coming for her. She was in their room, lying on the mattress with a terrible stomach ache, when a blurred vision appeared, poor little Rei is eliminated by Itachi, which is what he initially planned to do if a child is not the one they are looking for. Three other children are eliminated; Nari and the two remaining boys, Oki and Ran. Maaya, knowing that she and Hanako are at risk, flees with her remaining sibling.

Maaya and Hanako travel safely to the leaf town of Konoha. At this point, Maaya says she can go no further, feeds her sister a special elixir and then flees to the safety of another town. Hanako is found unconscious by Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke outside the gates of Konoha. Once she awakes, she no longer remembers where she came from but, with the help of Naruto, she manages to remember her first name.


	2. Chapter 2: Being found

**Heads up: I've never, ever written any Naruto fanfiction before, so this is my first time!**

"Hey! Lady, you gonna wake up?" Naruto had been shaking the strange lady for a while now. He'd found her on the way to the ramen bar and suddenly, ramen became a thing of the past. To him, it was all about finding who this ginger Kunoichi was. Sasuke was against the whole thing, he just stood and observed the sleeping ninja, who wore a mask like their sensei and was covered in a bed of flowers.

Sakura couldn't contain her anger, and found herself screaming at Naruto for his rude and ruthless behaviour. "NARUTO, GET THE HELL OFF HER!"

Hanako opened her eyes, blinked a few times and then attempted to shuffle to her feet. Above her were a young ninja and his pink-haired friend, both with stupidly sheepish grins on their faces. Hanako found herself frightened at first, but once she noticed they were younger than her, she calmed down and managed to speak.

"Arigatou," she blinked, her eyes moving across to the mysterious, dark-haired boy. She smiled when she noticed the flowers on her lap, but frowned once she knew that was all she could remember. The power of flowers was all she could remember of herself; she did not even know her own name. "Arigatou," she repeated, feeling slightly lost. Hanako was stunned by the unfamiliarity of her voice; it seemed so foreign, like she hadn't heard herself for years.

The blonde boy, yet to be introduced as Naruto, cocked his head to one side and peered at the pale, ginger ninja with some curiosity. Naruto was not one to keep his mouth shut, however, and soon spoke up. "Can you say other stuff?" he asked, removing his hands from his pockets. When she did not answer, he frowned in confusion and pointed to himself "Naruto Uzamaki," he smiled, then he pointed to the pink-haired girl. "That's Sakura Haruno, and over there," he paused, turning to scowl at Sasuke. "Is the team grump Sasuke Uchiha,"

The name Uchiha sent chills down Hanako's spine, and she found herself instantly wary of this boy. She looked into his eyes and saw nothing but pain and darkness; she knew she had seen those eyes before, and that it was going to take some time for her to find out where. She nodded at the Uzamaki boy, sure that she had heard of that name before, and smiled. Hanako did not know where she was, but after looking at the sign nearby, she found she was in the leaf village of Konoha. She would have liked to have stayed where she was, but Naruto had other ideas and yanked her to her feet.

"What's your name?" he asked, peering at her cautiously as he led her along.

"I-I have none?" Hanako replied, puzzled by the fact that she found no name to retrieve from her thoughts. Every time she tried to, a mental block got in the way and she found herself struggling to break through it. "No, none," she said, trying to stop Naruto from pushing further. "This remembering…it hurts," she murmured, staring at the bustling market ahead of them.

"It does?" Sakura asked. She seemed a little puzzled, but flicked her pink hair from her eyes and gently touched the older girl on the shoulder; something which caused a twinge in Hanako's blurred mind. "But…why? Did something bad happen? Did-"

Sakura clamped her hand over her mouth, flushed a bright red colour and shook her head angrily at herself. She did not want to question the girl further as she could see she was struggling to remember anything, and then a sudden idea came to her little pink head. "We can take you to Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura cried, grabbing Hanako by the wrist.

She peered around, slightly wary of the girl and where she was going to take her, and frowned in thought. Hanako had never heard of Kakashi, but she was already very weary of their sensei; after all, he was just another stranger. A sudden feeling came over her, and Hanako noticed that Sasuke was staring at her, something odd in his eyes. "Yes?" she asked, irritated by his staring.

He caught on to this, and smirked. "You wear a mask, just like Kakashi," he pointed out. Hanako nodded, unsure of why that was even important, but suddenly stopped and froze in her steps once she realised she was indeed wearing a mask. "But why?" the inquisitive Uchiha asked.

"I-"she hesitated, unsure of what to say, but eventually found and answer she liked, and would stick to. "I woke up with it on, so I will keep it on. I could be horribly disfigured-"she chuckled when Naruto's head whipped round, his right eye twitching. "So I continue to wear it. I will not remove it until I find someone I trust; then I will remove it," Hanako finished explaining, satisfied with the curt nod from Sasuke.

"How romantic!" squealed Sakura, pumping her fists in the air at the sight of a silver-haired, masked Jonin. "You and Kakashi-sensei can date!"

"Huh?" Hanako asked, genuinely puzzled by what Sakura was going on about. She looked up to see the man in question, and felt a strange feeling pulsating through her body. As of yet, she did not know what it meant, so ignored it.

"Hey! Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto called out to the man, who was currently engrossed in a little book. "WE FOUND THIS PRETTY LADY ON THE FLOOR! BELIEVE IT!" Hanako blushed deeply at Naruto's words and was pleased that, underneath the mask, it was not visible.

"Of course you did, Naruto," Kakashi chuckled, lazily waving his hand at Naruto's face. He hadn't even looked up from his book to see if the child was right, so Hanako thought she should make herself known.

"Well, he found _me_," she smiled. Kakashi froze, looked up from his book and began staring at the girl like he'd never seen one before. Instantly, he found himself curious by her mask, and what her tale was. This girl was so mysterious, but Kakashi knew he'd get it out of her, one way or another. He questioned why his team had found her, and what could have possibly gone wrong. He thought all these questions, but never voiced them. "Sorry about this," Hanako blushed under her mask; she was not accustomed to grown men, especially one as handsome as him. "Your kids wanted to bring me here, especially that little one in orange!"

"HEY, LADY, I'M NOT LITTLE!" Naruto retorted, pumping his fist in the air at Hanako. He only calmed down when Kakashi-sensei smacked him round the head with his make-out paradise book.

"Those aren't _my_ kids," Kakashi mumbled under his mask, rubbing the back of his neck. "They're just my team. I'm their sensei,"

"Right," Hanako paused, looked around and then blinked rapidly at Kakashi.

"Hey, are you okay?" Sakura asked, blinking up at the taller girl.

"I-I," Hanako felt an odd feeling rising up in her throat; it was as if she were drowning. After stumbling for a while, she looked towards Kakashi. "H-_help_," she whimpered, before blacking out and falling to the ground in a crumpled heap.


	3. Chapter 3: New name

**A/N: Wow, I didn't expect this fic to get any response at all, so I'm chuffed!**

**Thank you!**

Hanako, or rather the 'flower girl' as Naruto had dubbed her, had been comatose for a period of two weeks. During that time, Kakashi was able to visit the Hokage and express his growing concern over the ginger-haired girl. Initially, it was team seven's duty to be suspicious of the girl, to watch her closely in fear that she may be delivering information to a dangerous source, or that she was trying to infiltrate the leaf village. Naruto Uzamaki had voiced his own concerns; those were that Hanako was being mistreated, that she was a good person and they better believe it. Naruto, when not chasing or trying to start another fight with Sasuke, visited Hanako and sat by her bedside, talking about his dreams and discussing different types of ramen.

Today was no exception and, as he had routinely done for the past few weeks, Naruto visited Hanako after his daily training session. "We had another mission today," Naruto began, shuffling his bottom onto the chair by her bed. He looked at her, exasperated, and sighed. "We had to look for the Hokage's stolen hat," he laughed at this, almost dropping his ramen in the process. "Little did they know that it was Akamaru who'd run off with it! Another D-rank mission to waste on us,"

Naruto smiled sheepishly at the unconscious Hanako; he liked her because she would listen to him and he _knew _she could hear him because sometimes she would smile, or her eyelids would flutter. Whenever he talked about becoming the Hokage, he never had to add 'believe it!' it on the end because he knew, he always knew, that she believed him and would never laugh at him. She hadn't laughed at him yet, after all.

At the sound of quiet, yet noticeable footsteps, Naruto turned and saw Kakashi-sensei at the door, his pervy book in his hand, and a creepy grin hidden under his mask. "Kakashi-sensei!" screeched Naruto, his eyes twitching at the sight of his mentor. "Why'd you always read that book? It's stupid, not even a good book,"

"I wouldn't expect you to understand an _adult _novel, Naruto. It's a masterpiece," Kakashi lazily replied, seating himself on the chair next to Naruto. He did not remove his eyes from the book for another ten minutes, until Hanako stirred and began muttering under her breath.

"W-where….?" She stammered, her words slurred by the medicine. Her eyes fluttered a few times, closed as Naruto sat bolt upright, but opened again when Kakashi pressed a cool, gloveless hand against her forehead. "What?"

"Well, you're not as hot as before," Kakashi's smiling face came into view once Hanako regained consciousness properly and, for some strange reason, she found herself blushing.

Carefully, and with a worried expression on her face, Hanako pulled herself up from her lying position and she peered around the room with some curiosity. She had never seen a room as clean as this one; it smelt sweet, like roses, and the atmosphere seemed friendly and helpful. On the table by her bed was a steaming bowl of rice; her mouth watered at the sight of food and as her stomach rumbled, she realised she hadn't eaten for an incredibly long time. Kakashi watched her carefully, eyeing every move she made as he was still rather suspicious, and chuckled once the loud rumbled emitted from her stomach.

"Eat," he ordered, pushing the bowl towards her, before raising himself out of the chair and leaving her in stunned silence. Hanako peered at the bowl with some caution, worried that it had been poisoned or that there was something harmful about it. It was only when Naruto took a large chunk of rice in his chopsticks, and ate it, did she feel confident enough to break open her chopsticks, and take some.

"Turn around, Naruto. I'm going to hide my mouth,"

"But-"

"Please don't question me, just let me eat,"

Both Naruto and Hanako sat in awkward silence; Hanako silently wolfing down the meal that had been left for her, and Naruto watching the figure under the sheet move fast, with wide eyes at the girl. He'd never seen a girl eat so fast! Naruto vowed that one day; he'd have an eating competition with her, to see who could eat the fastest.

"Have you been okay, Naruto?" Hanako smiled under the mask. She removed the sheet from her head, placed the empty bowl from her lap and sighed. She noticed that Naruto's ears perked up and he suddenly whipped his head round, excitement flashing in his eyes.

He gasped, his knuckled turning white as he gripped onto Hanako's bruised arm. "You really did listen!" Hanako nodded, a small, shy smile forming under her mask. She felt familiar with this child, like he reminded her of someone she once knew. Hanako supposed that before losing her memory, she was connected to someone like Naruto Uzamaki.

She noticed that sometimes, Naruto would look hurt, forgotten. She decided she would be nice to him, a friend he could talk to and call upon. "Of course," Hanako said. "You have some…interesting things to say, Naruto,"

"Wow, really?" Naruto sounded beside himself with happiness; he leapt up and wrapped his arms around Hanako's neck; only stopping when Sakura yanked him back. "HEY!"

"Hello, Sakura," Hanako chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck where Naruto had once been. She issued Sakura with a slight glare, but shrugged the whole thing off because she knew they were just children, and were often prone to arguments and fights.

Sakura, fiddling with her long hair, looked up and smiled at Hanako, a smile full of warmth and reassurance. She opened her mouth to say something, but was promptly stopped when Naruto butted in and began talking. "Hey, Sakura-chan! Flower girl said I have some interesting things to say!" he paused; bringing his knees up to his chest, took a deep breath and continued. "She was telling the truth! Believe it! I think she was smiling, but I wouldn't know because of her mask. Hey flower girl; can I see what's under your mask? Sorry to ask-"

"NARUTO!" Sakura screeched, hitting him on the head. "Shut up!"

"Yeah, Dobe," Sasuke was leaning against the door; he smirked once he saw Hanako was up and rested his head against the door frame. "I'm pretty sure Hanako was just trying to please you,"

"No, that's not-"Hanako paused, her eyes widened and filled with tears. For some odd reason, the fact that he called her this unfamiliar name, pulled at her heart and made her sad. "How do you know?" she asked, her hands shaking as she brought them to her face.

"Duh," he rolled his eyes, striding over from where he stood. "The Hokage has heard of your family; it's okay, you're safe with us,"

"_Sasuke_," All three heads of team seven whipped round, and startled faces grimaced at the sight of their sensei. His tone was cold, frightening even, and he pierced the children with a warning glare. "It was never your job to tell her that. I told you, you must let me," he walked from his spot in the door, idly placed his book in his pocket and frowned. "Your name is Hanako; you come from a small, quiet village near the leaf. I'll tell you more as we move on through time; but not now, you've only just recovered. I'm afraid, for your safety, we will have to give you a new name,"

"Can I pick one, sensei?" Sakura beamed, turning to look with pleading eyes at Hanako.

"Go," Hanako answered for Kakashi, her eyes still brimming with tears. She was confused, frightened and curious. She wanted answers, but if she couldn't get them now then she'd wait. She remembered someone, a woman, telling her that good things come to those who wait for them.

Sakura looked thoughtful for but a moment or two, until her eyes widened and she screamed "YUUKA! It's perfect," she gushed. "It means gentle and flower. You are both of those things, flower girl,"

"Hey, that's pretty good, Sakura," agreed Naruto, nodding his head. He jumped down from his chair, issued a glare at Sasuke and looked curiously at his sensei. "What now, Kakashi-sensei? We can't make Han-Yuuka sleep here!"

"You're right," Kakashi smiled under his mask; moving forward, he placed a reassuring hand on Yuuka's shoulder. "That's why Yuuka Airi will be staying with me,"

"Uh, Yuuka Airi?"

"Yes. Is there a problem with that?" he didn't let her answer but, instead, took his book out and returned to reading it. "Didn't think so,"


	4. Chapter 4: Becoming part of the team

**A/N: And here's another update for you lovely people! **

**Just remember: Hanako is now Yuuka.**

_Well, what else could I say, Kakashi? I wouldn't want to defy your wishes; after all, you and your team have been so…kind to me. _She did not voice these thoughts but instead kept quiet and timidly smiled underneath her mask. She wanted them to make sure she was trustworthy; that she was not conspiring against them, and did not want to do any of the things that she'd overheard them saying.

"And then what will I do?" she asked, staring at Kakashi in a way that suggested she was very puzzled. The rest of team seven turned their heads towards their sensei, looking at him with curiosity in their eyes. Under his mask Kakashi smiled, he took a few steps closer to Yuuka before crouching down beside her.

He reached out to touch her forhead, but withdrew his hand once he saw her eyes widen. "I've been speaking to the nurse, and she says you're all ready to go," Under his mask, for some reason he couldn't fathom, Kakashi was blushing.

Yuuka nodded. "Okay. But then what, after I come and stay with you? I don't want to be a burden," she hesitated, pressed her fingers to her forehead and sighed. "I couldn't just sit there all day and do nothing, especially as you're letting me stay with you. Surely I can help you? I'll do anything. I'll wash up, I'll help out on missions, I'll-"

"That won't be necessary," Kakashi interrupted waving the idea off. Yuuka sank back into her bed, flushed and slightly saddened by the fact that Kakashi didn't see her as useful, and the man seemed to notice this because he ruffled her hair and chuckled nervously. "But, uh, I suppose you could help out with team seven. We could use an extra pair of hands, and seeing as you want to help us…." Kakashi paused, removed his hand from Yuuka's head and stood back up. "You can. Welcome to the team,"

"YES! Someone cool is finally on the team!" Naruto exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air. He sank back, growing red in the face, when Kakashi and Sakura's heads whipped round, their veins throbbing visibly in their heads, and their eyes twitching.

Yuuka, who was just close enough to reach Kakashi, pulled herself out of the bed and patted him on the arm. "He doesn't mean it, I'm not cool or whatever he thinks," she chuckled as Kakashi's face turned a bright shade of red, and she pulled away once a strange feeling began to flow through her arm. She noticed the squealing noise that came from Sakura's mouth, the roll of Sasuke's eyes and the way Naruto stuck his tongue out and pretended to be sick. Yuuka felt the heat rise up to her face, she found herself staring at Kakashi's back, and then at the floor. _Why do I feel like this? I haven't known him for long. No, not long at all._

"I, Uh…it's settled then," Kakashi mumbled, fumbling in his pocket to find his book. "You'll come home with me. Grab the clothes that are on the end of the bed," he motioned to the neatly folded clothes on the end of the bed, and turned to his book. "Kurenai wanted you to have them, your other clothes were too ill-fitting," he gulped, turned on his heels and added "meet me outside," before leaving.

"See-ya," Naruto smiled, sliding from his chair. He tugged on Sasuke's collar as he left, dragging the Uchiha boy with him and Yuuka couldn't help but smile at the sight. She turned, absent mindedly, to Sakura and frowned.

"Oh! Good-bye Yuuka," Sakura beamed, finally getting the hint from Yuuka's raised eyebrow.

"Right," Yuuka frowned to herself, turning to the pile of clothes. She lifted up a black, long sleeved t-shirt, and then the olive green body warmer. She noted how the clothing was very similar to Kakashi's and she wondered if they intended to have her teaching. Yuuka smiled at the thought of teaching; it would be a lovely thing to partake in, she decided to ask Kakashi about that possibility later on. For now, she needed to concentrate on training and finding more out about her life.


	5. Chapter 5: Questions and answers

**A/N: I'm really thankful for the lovely reviews and, in answer to your question, the chapters are currently short because I've had very little time to update. I'd much rather give you short chapters, than none at all. Anyway, this chapter should hopefully be longer than the first few, and I'm sorry about that!**

Yuuka smiled and nodded at herself in the mirror. For once she felt she looked clean, and maybe even nice. Kurenai's clothes seemed to be a perfect fit, which did feel rather odd for Yuuka because when she had found herself lying outside the gates of Konoha, her t-shirt was baggy, and oversized. Her shoes had been tight and squeezed her toes together; her trousers were ill-fitting, dirty and baggy. After looking at herself in the mirror, Yuuka found her long, ginger hair tied up in a messy bun. She removed the hair ribbon; a scraggly piece of green material that held the bun up, and smiled contently once her hair fell past her shoulders. Her hair was long, flowing and slightly curly. Yuuka did not mind one bit that she was ginger; it seemed to compliment her skin and bring out her big, green eyes. Yet, she frowned under her mask and pushed the mirror away.

"I must wear this mask because," she gulped, tears forming in her eyes. "I must be ugly," she concluded, head hanging low and shoulders slumped from the thought. The moment of sadness lingered for a few minutes more, before Yuuka shrugged herself from it, pulled on the gloves provided for her, and walked to find Kakashi.

She found him outside of the hospital, just as he had said, reading the book he seemed forever attached to. Yuuka thought she spotted a slight blush spreading across his cheeks as his eye scanned the page. Only did he remove his eyes from the page when Yuuka coughed; she did not want to speak for she felt she had nothing good to say.

"Yuuka," Kakashi muttered under his breath. Under his mask, his mouth was open in awe. He'd never noticed how pretty her eyes were for he'd never had a proper look. He finally made the decision to put his book away when she stood in front of him, and smiled creepily up at her. "I see Kurenai's clothes are a perfect fit," he nodded towards her, his eye closed as he smiled.

Yuuka thought for a moment, confused by how Kakashi was acting because she'd never interacted with a grown man before. She excluded her father because he was family; she knew she must have had one, her intuition told her so. "Hai," She curtly nodded, beaming under her mask.

A stranger, looking puzzled, walked past with their mouth open. "Kakashi Hatake, is that your sister?"

Kakashi looked over at Yuuka, frowned and turned his head back towards the man. He shook his head. "No, I would have told you, Iruka," he poked the man straight in the forhead, earning himself a growl.

_He must suppose that I am Kakashi's sister because of my mask. _Yuuka thought to herself, stifling a giggle. She looked across at the man and noticed he was dressed similarly, and wondered if he was a teacher, or something of the sort. _His name is Iruka_ she looked back down to the ground and smiled in thought. _He looks like a friendly person, but you mustn't trust everyone and anyone. _

"So, got yourself a girl then?" Iruka laughed, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "It's about time too! Guess you can finally stop reading those books of yours," The man walked over to them, began circling around Yuuka in a strange fashion. He stopped once Kakashi smacked him round the head with his book, and hissed as a large bump formed on his forehead. "So who the heck is she then? A girl you have a –"before he could say anymore, Kakashi pressed a finger to his masked lips and flashed Iruka with a warning look.

"Yuuka. My name is Yuuka," she smiled, outstretching her gloved hand. Iruka took it, shook her hand and smiled back. "And no, I'm not Kakashi's sister, girlfriend or anything like that. We haven't exactly known one another for long," she paused, a puzzled look on her face." Yet…I'm going to go stay with him," she murmured.

Iruka smirked knowingly, winked at Kakashi and walked away whistling. Yuuka watched on with a look of confusion upon her pallid face; Kakashi turned to blush at Yuuka and noted the freckles that lightly dotted on her nose, and what he could see of her cheeks. He also noted the vest she wore, and shook his head. "Uh, you shouldn't be wearing that. It could attract the wrong sort of people; the sort of people that might think you're a Chunin or Jonin," Yuuka nodded, not quite understanding what that meant, but she blushed as Kakashi removed the vest from her.

"Sorry,"

"No need to apologise," Kakashi began, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. He started walking, and motioned for Yuuka to follow. "Not long now, until we get to my house. Unfortunately I only have one bed, so we'll have to compromise,"

Yuuka followed Kakashi, grinning sheepishly. She stared around her, looking about and watching all the people pass by. She was momentarily distracted, until Kakashi tapped her on the shoulder. "Oh, right," she murmured. "I'll sleep on the floor,"

"No," Kakashi frowned, ushering Yuuka on. "That will not be necessary, you are my guest and I will have you sleep in my bed,"

Yuuka simply nodded, continuing to take the surroundings of the leaf village in. Suddenly, a thousand questions came to mind, and she really felt the need to ask them. "Kakashi?" she shattered the silence that surrounded them, and blushed under her mask once Kakashi turned round.

"Yes, Yuuka, what is it?" Kakashi turned round once more, and carried on leading Yuuka through a narrow street. She dodged a couple of children than came running from one of the alleyways, and giggled slightly.

"Are you a Chunin, or a Jonin? And what are those? I'm so confused by all of this. It's so…new,"

Kakashi nodded, fisted his hands and led Yuuka up the pathway of his house. "It's only normal for you to have so many questions," he said, more to himself than Yuuka. He pulled out his keys, fumbled with the different pieces of metal and eventually opened the door. "But first, come into the kitchen and grab something to drink,"

Yuuka laughed at Kakashi, stepping inside she noted how little furniture there was, but also how cosy and homey it seemed. "I won't remove my mask just yet," she tutted and playfully punched Kakashi on the shoulder. She ignored his raised eyebrow and the disappointed look in his eye. "Like I said to Naruto, and the others; I will not remove it until I find someone I trust,"

"Don't you trust me?" Kakashi pouted, earning a loud laugh from Yuuka.

"Ha! Kakashi Hatake, I've known you for but a few hours. I can't trust you yet; that would be naïve," Kakashi frowned at her response, led her into the living room instead and sat himself down onto the sofa. "Sorry," she apologised, a blush creeping up her cheeks.

"For what?" he asked, puzzled.

Yuuka looked across at Kakashi, sat herself beside him and closed her eyes. "Don't worry," she sighed, turned to Kakashi and looked at him with questioning eyes. "Can you answer my questions, please?"

He nodded, turned his head away from her and blinked at the floor. "A Chunin is a ninja that is qualified to guide other ninja, and to lead missions. To become a Chunin a Genin must participate and pass the Chunin exams. If you pass the test, it means you have reached a certain level of maturity and ability that consists of leadership skills and…tactical decisions," he paused, laughing slightly. "Which is why I think Naruto is going to struggle, you know"

This earned Kakashi a hard, loud slap from Yuuka. "Don't underestimate him! If he follows his dreams, and does well, he can do it! People have to stop treating Naruto like dirt; I've heard everything he told me when I was in that coma. He is a sweet, caring boy who will go far but," she poked Kakashi right in the chest. "With your help and expertise, he could make it. You better believe it!"

Hatake laughed, rubbed the side of his reddened face and sighed. "Apologies Yuuka," he ruffled her hair, and sank back into the sofa. "Jonin are highly-experienced Shinobi," he began "they have great skill and are sent on A-rank missions. Experienced Jonin can even be sent on S-rank missions, which are believed to be of the greatest difficulty. When a ninja, such as I, becomes a Jonin, they are given a three-man Genin team to supervise. Like I do with Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke, they must instruct and train up these Genin to become the best ninja they can be," he paused, took a deep breath and turned to Yuuka. "Is there anything else?"

"Hai," Yuuka nodded, fascinated by the knowledge that Kakashi held. "Explain what a Genin is, and what S-rank is. Please,"

Kakashi smiled under his mask, nodded and found himself very comfortable when speaking to Yuuka. After finding out what she had been through, and how she had been kept from the outside world, he understood why she needed to know so much. He intended to teach her as much as possible. "You should know, Yuuka, as you are one," he pressed a finger to her masked lips as he saw them open, and shook his head. "But you'll find out more about that soon. A Genin is what you are; the lowest level of ninja. But they are the ones who display the most difference in power, take Naruto and Sasuke for example. Naruto is very strong, promising and powerful; he is yet to discover what he can do, and at this moment in time comes across as rather…weak and reckless. Sasuke, on the other hand, acts like a very mature, responsible and experienced ninja. He knows most of his powers, and the correct way to use it,"

"I'm the lowest level?" Yuuka huffed, crossing her arms across her chest. She was hoping to be a higher level of ninja, but wasn't surprised at the low level. "Darn it!"

Kakashi placed a warm, reassuring hand on her shoulder and grimaced. "That's all I can guess, for now. I haven't seen your abilities; what you are able to do and how you are able to work…that is when I can see your true level,"

Yuuka nodded. "Okay, sorry. Continue,"

"S-rank is…the most dangerous type of mission a ninja can be given. These missions are exclusively assigned to highly skilled Jonin or large squads of ninja, and can include a huge pay-out," he paused, wondering whether or not to continue. He did so when Yuuka leaned in closer, curiosity and fascination gleaming in her green eyes. "S-rank is typically used when classifying techniques intended for very experienced Jonin, and Kage-level Shinobi. The term…S-rank is also a name given to an extremely powerful, missing-nin," he hesitated, not wanting to go on.

"Tell me who!" She practically shouted, excitement flashing in her eyes. Kakashi frowned, bit his lip and closed his eyes. From what the Hokage told him, he wasn't sure if he should mention _them. _But after opening his eyes and looking into Yuuka's, he surrendered.

"Hai," he sighed, reluctantly. "The Akatsuki organisation is mostly made up of S-rank criminals. I will not say anymore. I refuse to," he added promptly.

Yuuka found herself shaking at the name. Peering about the room, she found her vision blurring and she almost screamed at the overwhelming fear that consumed her. Instead, she threw herself into Kakashi's chest and buried into him. "You must," she whimpered, knowing that this was something to do with her life. "You must tell me about the Akatsuki,"

"_No_,"

Yuuka lifted herself from the man, gritted her teeth under the mask and shook away the tears that formed in her eyes. "You must. This is important. _Please _Kakashi, I'm begging you,"

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and squeezed Yuuka's wrist. "Their main goal is to collect all of the tailed beasts for their plan of world domination. The group is made up of powerful ninjas, so powerful that they are able to devastate the lives of many people," he paused, peering down to see if Yuuka was alright.

"Name them," she whispered. The whisper sent shudders down Kakashi's spine, and he found himself gripping onto Yuuka's arm with all his strength. "You hold my arm like I'm going to go somewhere," she muttered, her eyes scanning Kakashi's pale face. "They want me, don't they?" she remembered something about them now. Something terrible one of _them _had said to her before she fled. _He _let them flee, but later regretted it. He let them go because he was certain he'd catch her; that was all she could remember.

"The one I can remember, and know of, is Itachi Uchiha-"

Yuuka's gasp stopped him, he turned to find the girl standing and with tears flowing down her cheeks. "Sasuke Uchiha's brother," she muttered, her voice turned monotone "Itachi Uchiha; member of the Akatsuki, killed his clan but spared his brother Sasuke Uchiha,"

Kakashi's eyes widened, he stood from the sofa and gently patted her on the shoulder. "Hai, that is right," he paused, cocked his head and pressed two fingers to his forhead. "But how do you know? I thought you couldn't remember,"

Yuuka stood, staring straight ahead at the blank wall. Kakashi waved his hand in front of her face, and received no response. "Something like that stays in your mind; something as prominent as that could never truly leave me," she muttered, tears flowing steadily down her face. "Not what he told me! Not what he promised would happen,"

"And what would that be?" Kakashi's concern grew, but he got no answer for Yuuka collapsed on a heap on the floor. He rushed to her side, carefully picked her up and carried the girl to his bed. He sat, and watched her toss and turn. He would not leave her side.

* * *

_"W-who's there?" A frail, frightened voice broke through the shadows. Hanako had been running, running from the house once Maaya had instructed her to. She was supposed to wait here, by the bridge. If it was Maaya standing there, she would have known, but she did not and this frightened her. She opened her mouth to whimper; she felt ashamed, saddened that she could not help them._

_"You can flee but I'll find you," A voice; a strong, man's voice filled her ears and she felt herself shake as his breath hit her neck. Hanako felt a pair of strong, muscly arms wrap around her waist, and as the figure pulled her in, he whispered words that she'd never forget. "Hanako Maki, an old woman once told me you'd become strong, that you'd do powerful things. And that is why, when I find you, and when I take you; you will be mine. I promise you,"_

_He left Hanako in the darkness, shuddering and shaking from the words that had been whispered to her. When Maaya found her sister, it was as if all happiness had been sucked from her. She did not know of the Uchiha's promise. No one did. No one ever would; it was between her and Itachi. Hanako's last thought before drinking the memory elixir was of him. He haunted her no matter what happened. _

Unless a man loved her enough to protect her with his life, she would be Itachi's.


	6. Chapter 6: Hidan and threats

**A/N: I may, or may not, write up two chapters today, so keep your eye out!**

**RECAP: Last chapter we saw Yuuka go home with Kakashi, learn about the different levels of ninja and then she collapsed. This chapter: prepare to find out more!**

"I can't Itachi!" Kakashi's eyes snapped open at the sound of Yuuka's distress; he moved from his chair and positioned himself beside her on the bed. He watched intently, having every single intention of comforting her if she needed it. Kakashi absent mindedly reached out, touched her cheek and flinched when she grabbed his hand.

Yuuka's eyes snapped open; she looked frightened, angered and worried. "Yuuka," Kakashi breathed, removing his hand from Yuuka's own. He found his worry growing as Yuuka's face reddened. He worried about this strange girl, especially after hearing something about Itachi. "Are you okay?"

Yuuka pulled herself up, sweating slightly; she blinked hard and rested her weary head against the wall. "Itachi made a promise to me; please promise _me _that you won't tell anyone. Not even the Hokage, not even if I'm in deepest trouble,"

"Yuuka-chan, I can't make any promises. If you are in trouble, and I need assistance, then I might need to tell someone. Don't tell me if you feel I'm forcing you to; I'd never do that," Kakashi shifted off of the bed and onto the chair. He had spoken the truth; ever since that fateful day when he lost someone close, he decided he would be the best person he could possibly be. He didn't want to be trash. He wanted to show people he cared; he could care.

She frowned under her mask and shook her head. "Why do you call me that?" Her tone of voice was cold, harsh even. Kakashi's eyes widened slightly, and he found himself biting his lip out of fear that he had angered her, or had even upset her.

"I-I didn't mean to offend you, Yuuka," he paused. "I was just trying to be friendly; to show you that I'm trustworthy,"

Her mood changed suddenly; Yuuka's head hung low and Kakashi watched as a few droplets of tears fell down onto the sheets. "I am sorry, Kakashi. I just….I feel so funny," her head was still spinning, her vision still blurred. The image of Itachi lingered in her mind, and it seemed like it would never fade. He made her angry; made her despise Kakashi when his voice was filling her head. She wondered if he did it purposely, to stop anything happening between the two. Yuuka laughed at that; she threw her head back and her eyes flashed with madness.

"Y-Yuuka," Kakashi cocked his head to one side. He brushed his fingers against her forhead, checking her temperature. He found himself smiling as she relaxed against his touch; Yuuka closed her eyes and for a few moments, Itachi was gone. "It'll be alright; I'm here. We can kick his butt, or worse, have him spend the day with Naruto," He chuckled at that part, hoping that it would lighten the situation.

Yuuka wriggled away from Kakashi's touch, she opened her eyes and scowled. "I'm disappointed in you," she frowned, feigning her anger. Yuuka poked Kakashi in the forehead, her mood having changed. "Naruto Uzamaki isn't that bad and you know it Mr Hatake! If we put poor Naruto in that room, who knows what would go on!"

"Hai," Kakashi sweat dropped, rolling his eyes. He should have seen that response coming; yet, he was surprised at how quickly Yuuka's mood was able to change.

"I'll tell you," she shrugged. She was able to find the courage, and strength to be able to explain the situation. Even though Itachi was draining the energy from her, she took a deep breath and stood from the bed. Shaking slightly, and growling as her legs gave way, she grabbed hold of Kakashi's shoulder for support. "He…_Itachi_…Hngh," Yuuka hesitated, wincing at the searing pain that ripped through her body. It was him, it had to be.

Kakashi held up her frail, shivering body and laid her back down onto the bed. He grew red in the face at the sight of her dishevelled form, and laughed nervously. "Just sleep. I'll go read my book…I kind of need to catch up on it before Jiraiya releases his new book," he rubbed the back of his neck, smiled sheepishly and turned on his heels. Kakashi froze on the spot when he heard Yuuka mutter.

"He said I would be his, that I would be able to flee, but he'd come for me. He'd said that he'd find me, that he'd take me and then he promised that I would be his," she repeated the last part a few times more, before tears began to fall once more. "That means I have to marry him; to help him keep the Uchiha clan alive, doesn't it?"

"No," Kakashi began, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He stared darkly out of the window, hissed under his breath and cursed Itachi for all that Uchiha was worth. "Just because he made a promise doesn't mean that it'll come true, Yuuka; He won't get to you, no one will. You've got Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke. The children care about you, even if they haven't known you for long," he shook his head before leaving the room. After shutting the door, he lingered for a moment. It was long enough to hear the small murmur from Yuuka.

"What about you? Do I have you?"

"No," he whispered through a crack in the door. "You don't. I couldn't possibly make a promise like that; I am not capable of saving everyone," he was referring to his friends, Rin and Obito. Sighing, he padded down the hallway and made his way into the living room. He was going to read the hell out of his book tonight; today was far too much.

_But why can't you, Kakashi Hatake? I give you my trust, not all of it, but some of it. You may be the person I take my mask off for. I don't know; we've known each other for but a few weeks. What more can I say, or do? I want to show you that you are capable of those things; you are capable of keeping promises._

* * *

(Three days have passed. Yuuka's flashbacks have grown constant, and Kakashi seems to be pushing her further and further away from him. On the morning of another mission, Kakashi refuses to let Yuuka help, so she wanders off into the forest)

"The name is Yuuka, eh? Nice disguise" She turned, peered up at the branch above her and stumbled backwards. On the tree was one, smirking man. Something flashed in her memory, and she noted he was of the Akatsuki. "You really think he's that fucking stupid!" the man threw his head back and laughed, his shoulders shaking as he did so.

"It's not a disguise, it really is Yuuka," She stood in fighting stance, the Kunai Kakashi had given her held tightly in her hand. She tightened the grip under her blue cloak, grimaced as the man leapt down from the tree and watched his every move intently. "Yuuka Airi,"

The man, however, did not seem to believe her and pressed her up against the tree. His hand was around her neck, choking her, and his face seemed almost as menacing as his attitude. "That's bullshit, bitch," he spat.

Yuuka kicked him in the nuts, laughed slightly when he grimaced and tightened her grip on her weapons once more. "That's life,"

He loosened his grip slightly and, still staring at her, he stepped back and frowned. "You're just lucky he wants you unharmed bitch. You don't know what I'd like to do to you,"

"Itachi Uchiha," Yuuka found her voice; she decided she wasn't going to be scared anymore, that she had to be brave and always put up a fight. If not for herself, then for the dead children she saw in her flashbacks. "He wants me for some ridiculous reason, doesn't he?"

"And the penny finally fucking drops!" Hidan cackles, flashing Yuuka with a malicious look. He takes a good look at her; drinks in the vibrant green eyes, the freckles dotted across her pale face and nods. He's got the right one, that's for sure. Itachi had spoken enough about her eyes, how he'd often vision them when he thought he was losing sight of her. Hidan didn't see what all the fuss was about, and never recalled Itachi talking about her wearing a mask. He presses a kunai to her throat, eyes her with suspicion and asks "Why the mask?"

"Why the Kunai?" she retorts, fighting the urge to kick him.

He frowns, presses it harder so he draws some blood and raises his eyebrows in frustration. "Don't make me cut that neck of yours. Itachi would like his wife to be in one piece,"

"I don't know, and I'm being honest. I woke up with it on, so I'm going to wear it. I suppose I could be horribly disfigured underneath," she laughs at Hidan as his eye twitches in disgust. "Or I could be so ugly, that I'll blind anyone who looks upon my dammed face," She laughs once more, having every intention of wasting Hidan's time. It's not like she isn't going to cooperate; she needs to find out more information about Itachi, and just what he plans to do to her.

"Not from what I heard," He snarled, circling Yuuka like a wolf stalks its prey. He bares his teeth at her as the sound of worried children comes rushing through the trees. He turns on his heels, jumps onto the nearest tree and shouts haunting words to Yuuka. "Be here in two days at sundown, bitch. Itachi is going to speak to you, and you _will _speak to him. If you don't come," he shrugged, jumping across to another branch. "Then I'm just going to have to get you myself. I'll even leave Kakashi with a little scar to remember the trip by,"

Yuuka wanted to shout at him, to throw all of her weapons and to use all of her fight; yet, there was very little of that left in her, and she swore to the sky as Hidan disappeared. "You wouldn't dare touch him! I'll come, I'll play your little game but you stay away from the children and their sensei!" An image of the dead children flashed in her mind; a crippling pain erupted through her head and she fell against the tree.

(In the Akatsuki's lair)

"She goes by the name of Yuuka Airi; wears the leaf village emblem on her forehead protector, and keeps this fucking mask on,"

Itachi raised his eyebrows; not content with this lack of information, he lunged forward in his seat and snarled. "_And, _don't tell me that's all you got?"

"Fuck no; she seems overprotective of Team seven. I heard from a little birdie that she seems very…close to Kakashi Hatake," This earned a snort from Itachi, who found himself rolling his eyes and tapping his fingers idly against the chair. "They're living together; he often watches her sleep, saw them on one of the nights you asked me to watch over her. I'm telling you, Itachi, he's got a thing for her and," Hidan leant closer to the Uchiha, laughter caught in his throat. "I'd say sooner or later they're going to be fucking,"

"_Silence!"_ Itachi hissed, slamming his fist down onto the table. "I have heard otherwise from a more…reliable source,"

Hidan growled, anger bubbling in his body. "What? So you sent me to do all that damn work for nothing?"

"Not all of it was for nothing," Itachi smirked. "This bird has told me that Hatake is reluctant to be near her. Something happened one night, and now he's avoiding her. Not that I care," he added, lazily waving his hand. "She's mine, and she knows that,"

"Fucking hell you're crazy," Hidan murmured under his breath, but only just loud enough for Itachi to hear that something has been said.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," Hidan shook his head, before removing himself from the chair. "I just don't get this whole 'mark' thing,"

Itachi laughed once more, before ushering Hidan out. He laced his fingers together, placed his head on his hands and sighed. "She's a powerful one, but when she was weak…I marked her,"


	7. Chapter 7: A promise

**A/N: *Crawls to the computer* S-so many exams! All the happiness and energy has been sucked from me…**

"Where are you going, hm?" Kakashi was leaning up against the kitchen top, a glare upon his masked face. His visible eye scanned Yuuka with some suspicion, and he frowned. Yuuka had kept on walking, with very little intention of stopping, and turned. She glared back, not wanting to create an argument,

What could she say? After all, she couldn't admit to going to see Itachi, but then she couldn't lie, could she? Kakashi had been kind; he had taken her in, and for a short amount of time, had provided her with a friendship. She stuffed her hands into her pockets, fumbling with the kunai, and sighed. "Out," was the weak reply.

And as convincing as she'd like to have been, that did nothing to satisfy Kakashi's question. "I know better than to trust you," he retorted, folding his arms across his chest. "A stranger, that's all you are," he shook his head and chuckled at Yuuka's twitching eye. She was angry, or rather, infuriated.

"Oh, well!" She hissed, growing angry at Kakashi's sudden change of heart. "I should be the one to struggle with trust. You know, Hatake!"

His head hung low, he scowled and mentally cursed himself for how he was acting. "Hai….see ya," he murmured, not bearing to look at Yuuka as she fled from the house. After he heard the door slam, he looked across to where she was once standing and sniffed. Kakashi knew there was no reason to be aggressive towards her, yet he did not know why he even thought about acting towards her in such a manner. He stormed off to his room, hoping to read his book, and concluded that he liked something about her; that he seemed drawn to her, and it was driving him crazy.

Yuuka shuddered in the cold, harsh wind as it whipped her hair about. She had crazy thoughts a few days ago, when the children had found her in the forest. Those thoughts were of cutting her long, curly red hair; the reason quite simply being because she wasn't sure who she was anymore, and wanted to rid of her old self. "I'll do it when this business is over," she smiled to herself, thinking of all the things she'd be able to do when she sorted the whole thing out.

A twig snapped somewhere nearby, and Yuuka felt the need to grab a hold of the kunai that was lodged inside of her pocket. She smirked, getting into fighting stance, and growled in the direction of the new Chakra. "Put it away, Yuuka," she heard a familiar voice, frowned and dropped the Kunai.

"You are Itachi?" She whimpered; all of a sudden, she found herself weak and frightened. She was that girl he found by the bridge, not so long ago. She was _his _girl, the one whom he's made a haunting promise to. The only question was, was Itachi _really_ going to take her away? Or…was all of this a trick; a nasty, malicious ploy to get whatever it was that she harnessed. She'd overheard Kakashi talking with the Hokage.

He nodded, a possessive look flashing in his eyes. "Hai… and you've always known that. I couldn't let you forget, I decided to be…. Kind," he laughed. "Let us say… I was in a good mood,"

"Nice?" She spat, throwing her arms from her pockets. "How dare you speak about _that_, about what you did!" She glared, and if a single look could kill, it would have killed both his soul and body.

Itachi cocked his head to one side, grinning like a Cheshire cat. "Don't you understand? I _need _you, Yuuka. You need to come with me. I'll be kind, I won't hurt you like I did with everyone else," he grinned maliciously, watching as Yuuka began to back against a nearby tree.

"No," she responded; shaking her head wildly, as if it would do something. "I can't come with you. I want to stay here, with Naruto and the other children. I feel like…I feel like its home here," she pressed her hand against her chest, where her heart is, and smiled. She could feel bravery seeping through the dark thoughts; it was the children who'd given her strength.

Pressing fingernails against his palm, almost drawing blood to prevent himself from injuring her; Itachi scowled and cursed under his breath. "If you don't come, I'll have to take you by force,"

Yuuka shook her head again. She took one, sharp breath and decided to be courageous. She could feel one of the children close and, thinking it to be the reckless Naruto; she brought the Kunai to Itachi's throat, and hissed. "Don't think you can walk all over me; not after what you did,"

"How do you know?" he teased, thoroughly enjoying toying with her. "How do you know if Kakashi is telling you the truth? That he does not want you all to himself? What if he wants to use you, for the powers you possess?"

"Don't talk bullshit, Dobe!" She blurted, remembering how Sasuke often referred to Naruto. "I may not remember much, but I am most certainly not an idiot!" she brought her hand back, ready to punch, but was forced to restrain herself when Itachi brought his hand to hers, grabbing her wrist with great force.

He eyed her with anger, not content with how she was acting towards him. "Don't," he began, pushing his own Kunai to her throat. "Call me that,"

"Why? Does it _hurt?" _Yuuka's eyes widened at the familiar voice, and Itachi froze, dropping his Kunai to the floor. "Let Yuuka go. She's not who you think she is,"

"Kakashi Hatake," Itachi spat, his voice dripping with venom. He turned, swinging his weapons around, and narrowly missed Kakashi's face. "Nice of you to show up. A little late, wouldn't you say?"

"I wouldn't say I'm late, Itachi. Rather…early, don't you think? After all, you haven't even harmed her yet," He nodded towards Yuuka, who pulled out another Kunai and threw it at Itachi's back. Itachi disappeared in a cloud of smoke, and Yuuka swore loudly as it was revealed that the man was simply a shadow clone.

"Fuck!" she screeched, a sudden burning sensation ripping through her arm. She looked down, then at Kakashi after noticing a very visible slice through her arm.

Kakashi would have told her to watch her language, however, seeing as they were in a very different situation, he supposed that could wait. Looking up, he sensed Itachi and jumped out of the way, narrowly missing Itachi's attack. "I never expected a fight, Hatake. Won't you just hand her over?"

Kakashi frowned under his mask, grabbing Yuuka and swinging her behind him. "I wouldn't dare give her up to you, not without a fight!" he announced, getting into a fighting stance. He peered across, noticed the slight red tinge in the visible parts of Yuuka's face, and grinned sheepishly. "Ah-I mean, the kids would be real upset, Yuuka,"

"Sure," she replied, pushing herself away from his grip. Yuuka focused on Itachi, thought about how much she'd like to kill him, and was stunned when a vine covered with thorns began to creep around his arms.

Yuuka felt a sudden burning sensation in her arm, yelped once she saw the sprouting thorns, and then realised what it was she was supposed to do. With one, harsh swing, she brought the vine twisting up to his neck. Itachi writhed under the vicious, scratchy plant, but ginned all the while as he knew it was going to take more than that.

"I'll go," Itachi smirked, hearing the sound of Sasuke's distressed voice travel through the trees. "But I'll be back for Yuuka. I did, after all, make a promise,"

And with that, before Yuuka or Kakashi could make another attack, he fled like the coward he was. Kakashi and Yuuka stood in silence for a few mere moments, their hearts racing and blood noisily rushing through their ears. Hatake stood, still in battle stance, but relaxed once Sasuke leapt through the bushes.

"Sensei, I heard him, I know I did!" He called out, his eyes full of fury as he realised his brother was no longer there. "Damn!" he hissed, smacking his fist against a tree.

Yuuka felt disappointed with Sasuke; he should know better than to try and fight his brother on his own. Why, she was sure even Kakashi would struggle against the S-rank ninja! "Sasuke, you have to be careful-"

"No," the Uchiha replied, interrupting Yuuka. He noticed the mark on her arm; he grew red in the face with anger and lowered his head. He lifted it again, only to smirk at Yuuka in a confident manner, and then withdrew his glare. "I'll kill him, one day. It's my revenge, how I'll revive the Uchiha clan,"

Yuuka shuddered at his words, frowning slightly as she brought her hand down onto Sasuke's shoulder. She squeezed it, issuing him a closed eye smile for comfort. "I know you are set on this, Sasuke, but not all things can happen. You need to control this anger, this burning passion for revenge," she stood, pausing as the boy scoffed.

"Hn," he huffed, issuing Yuuka with a dangerous look. "What would you know about revenge?"

"Sasuke, leave it," Kakashi stepped in, pulling Yuuka back by the shoulder. He received a sad look from Yuuka, withdrew his hand and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.

She took a deep breath, made Sasuke promise he wouldn't tell a single soul and when content, she nodded. "Your brother killed my entire family; all I have ever known since remembering is that I want my revenge," she hesitated, unsure of whether or not to go on, but did so when Sasuke seemed interested. "He made a promise; this promise was that he'd find me, and take me to be _his," _she shuddered at the thought, but calmed once Kakashi wrapped his fingers around her wrist. "I know he want something; not children, but this _thing _I have. I don't quite know what it is yet,"

"Hai," Sasuke paused, before looking around and blinking up at Yuuka. "So, will you get in my way?" his tone became more aggressive, and seemed to address her with less respect.

"Not if I can help it," Yuuka murmured, before walking away. _Sasuke Uchiha, we will both get our revenge. In fact, if I don't get to kill him myself, I'll assist you. You may think that you were the only one he caused pain to, the only one who deserves revenge, but surely my family do? _Yuuka stopped walking once she reached Kakashi's house. She peered up at the moon, took a deep breath, and let a single tear fall down her cheek. _I solemnly swear that I, Hanako, will protect you children. Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke, you are my family now. Konoha is my home, and Kakashi is my friend. I will protect you with every inch of strength I have, because you have all been so…kind._


	8. Chapter 8: A kiss

Yuuka had spent the night dreaming; dreaming of Itachi, and how she would get her revenge. Kakashi found her sprawled across his bed, with a smile etched upon her pallid face. He cocked his head to one side, absent mindedly reached out his hand, but pulled away once he remembered what he was doing. Kakashi sighed. It looked so...inviting. He'd never lay in bed with anyone before, especially not a woman like Yuuka. He had wanted to lie with her, to wrap his arms around her waist and whisper sweet things into her ear, yet as he looked down at the sleeping woman, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

She was too sweet, too nervous, and too paranoid about the world; he didn't want to startle her, or to make matters worse. After all, he had already pissed her off. Yuuka stirred in her sleep, muttering something about ramen that made Kakashi smile as he turned on his heels. Looking back, he noticed that she was now sat, upright on the bed, peering with caution at him.

"Hatake, is that you?" She said; her voice seemed small, like she was nervous or afraid. He did not answer, but merely lingered by the door. This time he spent at the door, his head hanging low, was enough time for Yuuka to leap off of the bed, and to wrap her arms around Kakashi's waist from behind. Kakashi, startled by the abruptness, lowered his head slightly and let his gaze fall on the weeping Yuuka.

"Yuuka, why are you crying?" he asked. She sniffed, holding back the rest of the tears, and buried her head into Kakashi's back. "Tell me. Perhaps I could get one of the kids?" he sighed, knowing that he wouldn't be able to do anything for her. _I'm pretty useless at providing comfort; it'd be better if she went to go live with someone like Kurenai, or Anko. At least there she could do girly things…and I wouldn't be so afraid of going near the bedroom when she's sleeping. _

Yuuka lifted her head up and frowned. "No, I want you," she murmured, gazing up at Kakashi with saddened eyes. It took a lot of her willpower not to pull her mask down, to pull his down and let their lips meet. She thought to herself, _he looks so beautiful. Why, I bet he looks even better under that mask ._Yuuka let go of his waist, saw him relax, and walked round to the front of him. _I'll kiss him; a thank you kiss on the cheek for all he's done. Give it time, one day he'll show me what's under his mask….and I'll show him mine. _

Yuuka's breathing hitched as she reached up, placed her hands either side of Kakashi's face; She knew it was dark, that he'd fail to see her properly, so quickly pulled her mask down slightly, leaned in and kissed the Jonin on the cheek. Pulling away quickly, she replaced her mask and smiled underneath it. Kakashi was now a deep shade of beetroot-red, and had almost stopped breathing. "That's how I say thank you," she chuckled, before patting Kakashi on the shoulder, and walking from the bedroom.

Hatake, underneath his mask, smiled slightly and felt an odd feeling rise up in his throat. He rushed to the door, only to see that Yuuka had gone, and drooped. The feeling that grew and rose up inside of him was want. He wanted Yuuka to be his, but was too afraid, too nervous, to go for it. He peered at the door one last time, hoping to see Yuuka's retreating form, and sighed. It was difficult.

* * *

"HEY WHAT DO YOU WAN-"Naruto paused, rubbed his eyes and blushed. "Eh? Yuuka-Sensei? What are you doing up at this hour,dattebayo?

Yuuka smiled sweetly, hoping she hadn't annoyed Naruto too much. "Visiting one of my favourite students,"

"BAKA!" He frowned; sweat dropping as he remembered she'd said that to Sakura. "You told Sakura-Chan that she was your favourite student," Naruto's eye twitched; sensei's weren't even supposed to have favourites! And anyway, why couldn't it be him?

She stepped back a little, slightly taken aback by his response and chuckled nervously. "Eh?" she hesitated, puzzled by what he had said and laughed. "Oh! Sakura-Chan? Well…Um, Naruto, she's my favourite _female _student!"

Naruto grinned, poking himself in the chest with his thumb. "That means that you like me more than Sasuke! _I'm_ better than Sasuke!" Naruto's grin looked as if it was going to be permanently etched upon his face, but he eventually had to stop once his face began to hurt.

"This is between you and me," Yuuka winked, leaning in closer to Naruto. "But Sasuke is my…um…favourite…person to train with," she smiled, not wanting to leave Sasuke out, and not wanting to only include certain people. Really, they were all her favourites.

"Hmph," Naruto sulked, sticking his chin in the air. "I'm better at training, Sensei. BELIEVE IT!"

She nodded, falsely smiling as she was too tired for all of his energy. Where did he even get it from at this time of night? "N-Naruto," she sighed, sweat dropping as she spoke. "I'm sure you are but-"

"Oh, eh!" he began to laugh creepily, a strange look in his eyes.

Yuuka blinked; she was unaware of what was about to be said. "W-what is it?"

"Kakashi-sensei is your favourite man, ttebayo!" he exclaimed, winking at Yuuka.

She face-palmed, mentally cried and threw her hands up in the air, shouting "OH MY KAMI! IT'S NOT THAT OBVIOUS, IS IT?"

"Heh! So you admit it?" Naruto shrieked with laughter, before shaking his head. "HEY, KONOHA, YUUKA-SENSEI LIKES KAKASHI! BELIEVE IT!"

Yuuka clamped her hand over Naruto's mouth, hoping to dear Kami that no one heard his cries. Little did she know that somewhere in Konoha, Sasuke Uchiha's ear pricked up, and he smirked knowingly. She didn't know that Sakura, who was sitting at her window, whooped and fist pumped, content with knowing about her sensei's secret. Nor did she know that somewhere, a certain ninja stopped walking, froze and fainted.

Yuuka was going to have a handful. And all she came here for was to ask Naruto if she could stay round his. _Oh, Kami! What have I done? Naruto Uzamaki; you are in big trouble, mister! No more ramen for a week, you hear me? _


End file.
